Hypoleucis
H. tripunctata Mabille
H. tripunctata tripunctata
Aframomum alboviolaceum
A. latifolium
A. cereum
A. sceptrum
Aframomum
H. ophiusa (Hewitson)
Costus
Costaceae
H. sophia Evans
Sorghum arundinaceum (Poaceae)
Zingiberales
Poaceae
H. sophia
H. tripunctata
H. sophia
Observations on the biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera). Part 9. Hesperiinae incertae sedis: Zingiberales feeders, genera of unknown biology and an overview of the Hesperiinae incertae sedis
Cock, Matthew J. W.
Congdon, T. Colin E.
Collins, Steve C.
Zootaxa
2016
4066
3
201
247
92C76
Mabille, 1891
Mabille
1891
[151,463,151,178]
Insecta
Hesperiidae
Hypoleucis
Animalia
Lepidoptera
21
222
Arthropoda
genus
Hypoleucisis a small Afrotropical genus of just three species ( Evans 1937, Ackery et al. 1995). Evans (1937)and Ackery et al. (1995)treat the typespecies of the genus, H. tripunctataMabilleas having three subspecies, but Larsen (2005)raises doubts as to whether subspecies are justified ‘since any population shows considerable variation’. Vuattoux (1999)reared H. tripunctata tripunctataonce from Aframomum alboviolaceum(as A. latifolium) in June 1973and once from A. cereum(as A. sceptrum) in July 1979at Lamto, Côte d’Ivoire(repeated as Aframomumin Vande weghe 2010). The common H. ophiusa(Hewitson)feeds on Costusspp. ( Costaceae) and is treated below. In contrast, Vuattoux (1999)reared the much rarer H. sophiaEvansfrom Sorghum arundinaceum(Poaceae)once in February 1972(repeated in Vande weghe 2010). It seems rather unlikely that different members of the same genus would feed on Zingiberalesand Poaceae, so this record needs confirmation. However, it is worth noting Evans’ (1937) observation that H. sophiadiffers from the other two species in having no forewing brand and very special, completely different palpi, the third segment being comparatively long, pointed and in continuation of the second segment; but in appearance, antennae, venation and wing shape it does not differ from the other species. It is almost certainly not congeneric (T.B. Larsen pers. comm. 2015). We have no other information on the early stages of H. tripunctataand H. sophia.